Haas boss Ayao Komatsu claims ‘incredible’ Fernando Alonso ‘opened his eyes’ during a test at Renault

Fernando Alonso's long history in F1 meant that he has worked amongst a lot of people present on the grid.

Haas boss Ayao Komatsu claims ‘incredible’ Fernando Alonso ‘opened his eyes’ during a test at Renault

Ayao Komatsu, Fernando Alonso (via IMAGO)

Fernando Alonso has been racing in F1 for a very long time. Hence, this meant that the 42-year-old raced for multiple constructors in his career. Alonso had raced with Renault for multiple seasons and even won the drivers’ championship in ’05 and ’06. The present Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu recalled that the Asturian driver opened his eyes while he was testing with Renault.

Ayao Komatsu also has almost 20 years of experience working in the pinnacle of motorsport. The 48-year-old was very appreciative of Fernando Alonso for ‘opening’ his eyes. Additionally, the Japanese boss highlighted the Spaniard as another level of incredible due to his performances and knowledge about the sport.

When I went to Renault and participated in a tire test with Fernando Alonso, he opened my eyes. Absolutely of another level, incredible.
Ayao Komatsu said on Beyond the Grid podcast (H&T: formulapassion.it).
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Fernando Alonso wasn’t only a skilled driver but also shared great feedback and racecraft. Komatsu noted that the 42-year-old was also aware of what to do during the last five laps to score a great end to the race. Alonso was also smart in managing tire temps and balance while the circuit was as cold as 20 degrees according to the 48-year-old.

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Whether it was to provide feedback or to know what he had to do in five fast laps to make the tires work well at 20 ° lap. Fernando is the most impressive driver I have worked with.
Ayao Komatsu added.

Ayao Komatsu claims Robert Kubica only cared about his poker game with Fernando Alonso alongside the championship

Alongside Alonso, Komatsu believed Robert Kubica was also an impressive driver. Komatsu recalled that back in the day, Kubica was one of the drivers who could bring something special.

Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso (via IMAGO)

Ayao Komatsu added that Robert Kubica only cared about spending time with the engineers to enable any chances of the world championship. Apart from this, the former joked that the Polish driver also cared about his poker game with Alonso apart from his performances in F1.

Robert Kubica, despite having been with him for only a year, he was one of those drivers who knew they could bring something special. In his day I thought he would become world champion, spend every day with the engineers and was very interested in Formula 1. He only cared about this and his poker games with Alonso
Ayao Komatsu noted.

Fernando Alonso will continue to compete at the pinnacle of motor racing at least until he turns 45. The Asturian is also considering continuing racing despite his age. Hence, this is the reason that Alonso is one of the highly loved drivers. Alonso continues to perform better than most of the young drivers present on the F1 grid.

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